TBWA dominates in Japan/Korea AOY 2024 awards

TBWA Hakuhodo is on a winning streak at the 2024 Agency of the Year Japan/Korea awards, displaying an undeniable dominance in the region. The agency secured Gold in both the Japan Creative Agency of the Year and Event Marketing Agency of the Year categories. Meanwhile, TBWA Korea had an impressive evening, winning accolades in multiple categories: Korea Creative Agency of the Year (a jump from its Bronze win in 2023), Korea Digital Innovation Agency of the Year, Korea Media Agency of the Year (advancing from Silver in 2023), Japan/Korea Consultancy of the Year, and Japan/Korea Integrated Marketing Agency of the Year.

Accenture Song took home the Japan/Korea e-commerce agency of the year award

Accenture Song retained its strength in e-commerce, taking home a Gold and a number of Silvers and Bronzes in different categories. Compared to 2023, Accenture Song ceded its top spot in the Digital and Data Analytics categories. This year, no Gold was awarded in this category in Japan; Accenture Song and Dentsu Digital tied for Silver, while Digitas Japan settled for Bronze.

In Korea, TBWA Korea and UM tied for Silver, with Cheil walking home with a Bronze, essentially replicating their 2023 placements.

The winners from TBWA in one frame

Media is also another category where no Gold was awarded in Japan. UM Japan and Publicis Media took Silver and Bronze, respectively, upholding strong performances in a highly competitive market. In Korea, TBWA advanced from its Silver position in 2023 to take top honours, while Starcom earned Silver and UM took Bronze.

Other important Gold wins from the night include Platinum (Japan PR Agency of the Year), replacing Weber Shandwick, which won in 2023 and KPR & Associates (Korea PR Agency of the Year) which won a Silver last year. Edelman Japan earned Silver, while Ozma and Weber Shandwick tied for Bronze.

Ignored was the proud Gold winner in both Culture and Independent Agency of the Year categories. Team Cookie's Gold in Boutique Agency of the Year and IPG Health Japan's win in Specialist Agency of the Year diversify the winner list, spotlighting the success of niche players.

Japan’s Sunny Side Up Group was named Best Place to Work for its commitment to employee well-being, work-life balance, and professional growth. This award is particularly significant as Japan traditionally does not rank highly for best work practices. It highlights a shift towards creating workplaces that attract and retain top talent in a highly competitive market.

People: TBWA Hakuhodo's talent shines

TBWA Hakuhodo was once again the standout in this category. The agency swiped top honours across multiple individual awards, reflecting the shop’s committment to talent development programmes and its ability to nurture leaders at all levels.

Agency Head of the Year: This was awarded to Chris Iki, the chief operating officer of TBWA Hakuhodo. Under his leadership, the agency has maintained its position as a creative leader in Japan, winning a Creative Gold for the second year in a row. In Korea, Kijung Kelly Kwon of Hoffman Agency Korea proudly earned a commendation.

Creative Leader of the Year: ‘Taka’ or Takahiro Hosoda of TBWA Hakuhodo has once again received the Creative Leader title, retaining his 2023 position. Hosoda’s role in driving the agency’s creative output has been instrumental in their success across campaigns and categories.

Young Achiever of the Year: Yurisa Hiramatsu, once again from TBWA Hakuhodo, took home the gong.

Young Creative Person of the Year: Ryota Haraguchi, another rising star from TBWA Hakuhodo, was awarded Young Creative Person of the Year, showcasing the agency’s investment in nurturing creative talent.

Strategic/Brand Planner of the Year: Mitsuru Sato of Droga5 Tokyo was recognised with this title, marking a special win for the agency.